


Just a Beginning

by rebeccaann08 (halesmoon)



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: 4x06 AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-09
Updated: 2012-02-09
Packaged: 2017-10-30 20:59:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/336016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halesmoon/pseuds/rebeccaann08
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Then Leon’s search team returned, and there, sitting sidesaddle, unconscious, and propped up against Leon’s broad chest, was a dirty, bloody Merlin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just a Beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [castmeaway](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=castmeaway).



> Completely unbetaed (I'm so sorry!). Written for castmeaway, who asked for a fic in which the knights find Merlin before he's kidnapped by Morgana.

When no scouting teams had turned up with news of Merlin, Arthur felt the world shift around him.

How was this happening? Merlin was _always_ fine. Through sorcerers and slave traders and bloody _dragons_ , Merlin had never walked away with little more than a scratch.

And now everyone thought he was dead.

Arthur couldn’t grasp it. It hurt his head and his heart to think about, because a world without Merlin’s lopsided grin his constant trips to the tavern and his clumsy fumblings…it didn’t seem possible.

Then Leon’s search team returned, and there, sitting sidesaddle, unconscious, and propped up against Leon’s broad chest, was a dirty, bloody Merlin.

He was so pale Arthur might have mistaken him for dead if not for Leon’s expression. He wasn’t morose or grieving. He was holding Merlin tightly and he looked worried, but there was an ease about him. He’d found what he was looking for. 

“Gaius!” Arthur roared as he ran towards the courtyard. “Someone get Giaus!”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two servants break off in the direction of Gaius’s chambers. After that, his focus was on Merlin.

Leon helped him gently lower Merlin to the ground. Merlin’s head lolled and his body was completely slack, but he was warm and breathing. Arthur frowned and cupped Merlin’s face with his hands, fingers stroking through the dark strands and pushing away crumbling bits of dirt and blood.

Merlin was _too_ warm.

He hissed when he felt the heat emanating from Merlin’s shoulders. Of course the wound was infected. Merlin was covered in dirt – in fact, he was absolutely _filthy_. He remembered what Merlin’s shoulder had looked like, all ragged and torn up, like ground meat. He pulled aside Merlin’s tunic to check it, then winced. It definitely needed medical attention.

At that moment, Gaius appeared, running as fast as he could.

“Oh, _Merlin_ ,” he said when he saw the figure on the ground.

“I don’t know what’s happened to him since I lost him, but his shoulder is really bad,” Arthur said.

Gaius examined it for a second, his lips pressed in a thin line. “I need to get him to my chambers.”

Arthur glanced around, looking for one specific knight. When he spotted Percival, he breathed deep and waved the man over.

“I need you to carry Merlin to Gaius’s chambers. Try not to jostle him too much,” Arthur said.

Percival nodded and slid one arm under Merlin’s shoulders, careful to not touch the infected wound, and the other under the crook of Merin’s knees. He’d carried Merlin like this once before, and it pained Arthur to see him have to do it again.

The trip to Gaius’s chambers was short. Anyone in the halls quickly moved out of their way, and soon, Percival was gently laying Merlin down.

Gaius shooed Percival out of the room. When he tried to do the same to Arthur, he received a thunderous glare in return.

“Stay out of my way unless I need you,” Gaius said. Arthur nodded and perched himself on a chair at the main eating table.

He wasn’t sure exactly what Gaius was doing. He flitted around, grabbing various vials of wicked looking potions. Arthur recognized a few from being treated for battle wounds himself. He thought they were to fight infection.

He was startled out of his reverie when Gaius thumped a bowl in front of him filled with some various herbs and a bit of water. “Grind this into a thick but smooth paste.”

Arthur didn’t retort that you don’t give orders to the _king_. He did as he was told with no argument.

While he ground herbs, Gaius cleaned Merlin’s wound. Merlin moaned and his eyes blinked open a few times. He murmured _Morgana_ before falling back unconscious. Arthur ignored the hurt he felt at that. He knew Merlin had fallen hard for his half-sister. He shouldn’t be surprised that his feelings hadn’t disappeared. Love rarely listened to reason.

He tried not to think of why that made his heart feel like it was breaking in ways that knowing Gwen would always love Lancelot more than himself never could.

When he was done, Gaius took the bowl gratefully and spread the paste across Merlin’s shoulder. Seeing it cleaned up, the wound didn’t look nearly as bad. Arthur suspected once Gaius managed to draw out the infection, Merlin would be good as new in a matter of days. He sighed in relief.

“He’ll need rest and a steady intake of liquids and broth,” Gaius said.

“I’ll make sure the kitchens bring him something every few hours,” Arthur said.

Gaius placed a hand on Arthur’s arm. “Thank you, sire.”

Arthur nodded. He took one last look at Merlin’s pale face before he turned and left.

*****

It took Merlin two days to awaken fully. During that time, Arthur spent any free moment he had at Merlin’s bedside, making sure his fever continued to decline and helping Gaius drip broth down Merlin’s throat.

When a servant interrupted a council meeting to tell him Merlin had awakened, Arthur dismissed the meeting, much to his uncle’s chagrin.

“Merlin has been a loyal servant, Agravaine, and he has done more for Camelot than most knights. He deserves my attention,” Arthur said.

Merlin still looked awful, he noted, when he entered Gaius’s chambers. But he was awake, and he grinned at Arthur when their eyes finally met.

“I knew you loved me,” Merlin said.

Arthur almost stumbled. “What?”

“Gaius said you spent all your free time taking care of me,” Merlin teased. “Although I’m not a _damsel_.”

“No, you’re not. And I was only here because entertaining manservants are hard to come by,” Arthur said, thinking of George, his temporary manservant and quite possibly the most boring companion he’d ever had the misfortune of being stuck with.

“Yeah, of course,” Merlin said.

Arthur studied him. “What happened?” he said, finally.

Merlin’s smile disappeared, and he looked down at his hands, which were picking at stray threads of his blanket.

“Um…”

Arthur reached out to still Merlin’s hands. “Please tell me.”

“It was Morgana,” Merlin said. “She was behind the attack.”

Arthur’s blood ran cold, then hot. The delirious mutterings of his sister’s name made more sense now, and he fought a smile. It wasn’t a proper time to be happy, not even over the revelation that Merlin hadn’t been calling out Morgana’s name as some sort of delirious plea.

“Are you all right?” he asked. He raised a hand to place against Merlin’s brow, checking for fever. He didn’t miss the way Merlin pressed himself forward, leaning into the touch.

“Yes. When they saw it was me and not you, they just left me there. Probably figured I wouldn’t make it for very much longer. I passed out, and when I woke up, I didn’t know which way was Camelot, and it really hurt to move. I tried to get back,” he said. 

Gaius left the room.

Arthur shook his head. “You did good,” he said.

He didn’t mention how his mind envisioned all the way things could have gone wrong. Morgana could have tortured Merlin for information, could have ensorcelled him, made him a slave to her power. He’d seen it done before. 

He pulled back his hand, because that was why he had chosen Gwen over Merlin. He couldn’t risk someone hurting Merlin to get to him.

Merlin watched him, frowning. “Arthur?”

“I’m glad you’re back,” he said. He made to stand, but a hand on his wrist stopped him.

“I’m stronger than you think,” Merlin said. He stared into Arthur’s eyes. “Please.”

Arthur could see Gaius moving about, not paying them any attention, so he bent down to press a light, chaste kiss at the corner of Merlin’s mouth. “I can’t do that, not to you.”

Merlin gripped his wrist harder. “Why can’t I decide?”

“Merlin,” he breathed. His free hand slipped to cup Merlin by the back of the neck, and the soft hairs curling around his fingers made him shiver. He pulled Merlin back to him, giving his a right and proper kiss.

He never could deny Merlin.

They’d have to keep it secret, he knew that much. No one could find out what Merlin meant to him, not if it put Merlin’s life at stake.

And he’d have to tell Gwen, because he couldn’t knowingly hurt her like that. 

But maybe, if they were careful, they might be able to have this – whatever _this_ was. Because a world without Merlin’s touches and kisses…well, it just didn’t seem possible.


End file.
